Mexican soldiers and civilian smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officials on the Rio Grande in Texas Monday afternoon, according to Texas police and the FBI.

Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States, said Chief Deputy Mike Doyal, of the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Department.

Mexican Army troops had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border — near Neely’s Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso — when Border Patrol agents called for backup. Hudspeth County deputies and Texas Highway patrol officers arrived shortly afterward, Doyal said.

“It’s been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it’s been going on for years,” Doyal said. “When you’re up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us.”

“Bad guys in three vehicles ended up on the border,” said Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman with the FBI’s El Paso office. “People with Humvees, who appeared to be with the Mexican Army, were involved with the three vehicles in getting them back across.”

Simmons said the FBI was not involved and referred inquiries to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE did not return calls seeking comment.

Doyal said deputies captured one vehicle in the incident, a Cadillac Escalade reportedly stolen from El Paso, and found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside. The Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river, he said.

Charlie Munn at The Officers Club asks: “Where’s the Stryker Brigade at? If this recent episode doesn’t demonstrate that some well funded terrorists could cross the southern border without any problems- what will?”

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff has been pooh-poohing reports of armed Mexican incursions that have multiplied over the last decade. But the facts speak for themselves. Mark in Mexico reports on the literal invasion of the southern border and posts this disturbing graphic:

Border security? What border security?

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Meanwhile, Lonewacko reports on the latest immigration poll numbers, which show intense and justified dissatisfaction with the Bush adminstration.